Meteorology -- March 26, 2025

Weather and Climate - Unit 8 In Your Textbook. Complete the (optional) quiz.

Dr. David Baker, Professor of Physics, Austin College and Adams Observatory Director

Read Dr. Baker's BIO

1. Read Unit 8 in your textbook and complete the (optional) quiz.

2. Watch the video on cloud types (5:05)

3. Read through the End-of-Class Presentations information in the section below.

Optional Activities

After watching Pecos Hank's video on lightning (10:58), review the Lightning Types page on the NSSL website. 

Read this USFWS article about protecting endangered species in a changing climate

Watch the video Adding iNaturalist Observations from the Website (6:37) 

To balance out your pre-work, you can get a jump on next week by viewing Molly Keck's insect video.

While these projects are optional, I would encourage everyone to consider signing up. (You earn Volunteer Hours for your time spent in preparation and presenting.) 

If you choose to prepare a project, you have three choices: 

1. Prepare and present a "TedTalk" at our last class. These have a 10 minute maximum. Any topic in the TMN curriculum (your textbook) is fair game! 

At the January BPTMN Chapter meeting, four members of the Class of 2024 reprised their presentations. (And received rave reviews, I might add!) If you missed this meeting, you can watch the recording of the four presentations HERE to get an idea of how varied the topics can be. 

The "TedTalks" will be presented during our final class on May 7.  When you sign up, please list the topic you will be covering. We will have 12 presentation slots, so sign up early HERE .

2. Prepare and record a presentation. Like the live TedTalks, these will have a 10 minute maximum. Again, any topic in the TMN textbook is fair game. These recordings will be added to our chapter education library. Your audience could be children, youth, the general public, or Texas Master Naturalists.  When you sign up, please list the topic you will be covering. Sign up HERE.

3. Prepare a "product" such as a brochure, cheat sheet, etc.  There are numerous possibilities here! Anything that you think advances the BPTMN mission of education about beneficial management of natural resources in our community. Again, your audience could be children, youth, the general public, or Texas Master Naturalists. 

You can see two brochure examples in your week 6 optional activities. 

When you sign up, please list the topic AND the type of resource you plan to prepare. Sign up HERE.

Logging Hours

*Make sure that you have recorded last week's attendance in VMS.

(If you missed class, contact your pod guides to schedule a make-up.)    

Opportunity: Init Training-Class 07     

Date: March 19, 2025     

Hours: 3.0 

Description: Maws & Ethics with Mike Mitchell

Snack Sign-Up

Our April and May classes still need snack sign-ups. If you haven't signed up yet, please do so HERE.

Volunteer Service (VH) Opportunities

• See Chapter Calendar for approved opportunities

Advanced Training (AT) Opportunities

• See Chapter Calendar for approved opportunities

• AUSTIN COLLEGE WEATHER STATION

• My NASA Data - About the Biosphere - website & video

• The Complete Guide to Ten Cloud Types - From the What's This Cloud website

• NSSL on Lightning - website with photos

• How to Read Surface Weather Maps - National Weather Service (NWS) Jetstream website

• TexMesonet - Earth Observation data collection network

• Do cosmic rays cause lightning? - Article from Scientific American.

• Weather Resources from the American Meteorological Society

• Weather Underground (wunderground.com)

• WeatherBug - phone app, good for lightning alerts when you're hiking

WEEK EIGHT CLASS UPDATE

As always, Mike really gave us some things to think about. I've added links and info from his presentation onto the Resources page of the class website. Just scroll down to "Week Seven extras". 

Week Eight: Mar 20-26

We'll be back in person for our Meteorology class. This week's pre-work is really light. If you would like to get a jump on the Entomology pre-work for week nine, check out Molly Keck's insect video. While it is long at almost 1.5 hours, it is a really good deep dive into insect predators and parasitoids.

End-of-Class Presentations and Projects:

Make sure to read through the EOC Presentations & Projects info on this week's webpage. You can create something based on a topic that is already in your wheelhouse or you can venture out and research something completely new. It's really a win-win situation. The class gets to learn something new and you get to rack up volunteer hours with your research, preparation, and presentation. I know it's optional, but just think about it.

A note on volunteering...

Some of you have already started accruing volunteer hours and some of you are waiting for the end of class, summer, etc. Both are fine to do. Officially, you have until December 31st of this year to earn your 40 VH and 8 AT hours and receive your initial certification. Just keep an eye on the math. It can become a lot to get done when the volunteer opportunities lessen over the summer due to heat and program schedules.

See you next week,

Nancy